This is the district Headquarters of South Dinajpur in West Bengal. Balurghat is a small municipal town known for its pollution-free environment. There are some small forests in the vicinity of the town at Raghunathpur and Dogachhi enhancing the scenic environment for local picnickers and outside tourists. At Dogachhi boating in the canal is a major attraction for the people visiting.
The Dakshin Dinajpur District used to be part of Dinajpur district which was divided into Dakshin and Uttar Dinajpur during the 1990s. The history of the place dates back to the SEN and PAL dynasties. The district boasts of a glowing cultural heritage. The existence of big tanks and the antiques discovered during an excavation in several parts of the district makes it quite evident that the area had a flourishing past in education and culture.
Ancient manuscripts and inscriptions indicate that a district with the name Kotibarsha existed here with its capital at Devkot near Gangarampur Town. The place was locally known as Bangarh. The importance of the area can still be judged by the ruins of Bangarh. Its capital town Devkot is considered to be a historically famous place, from where a large number of inscriptions dating from Ashoka age to the Middle Ages, have been discovered, This district was well connected with 3 (three) big rivers namely Atreyee, Punarbhaba, and Tangon.
Reaching Balurghat:
Balurghat is well connected by roadways from Siliguri and Kolkata.
Important towns around Balurghat:
Siliguri: 290 km
Raiganj: 105 Km
Malda: 145 Km
Places of attraction in and around Balurghat:
The Museum of Balurghat
The college museum is worth a dekko for its antique collections including coins, inscriptions, sculptures, terracotta, ornamental stones, etc. Some of the inscriptions have been successfully deciphered throwing new light on the religious belief of the Pala period.
Khanpur
is situated on the Trimohini-Patiram road about 18 Kms from the Balurghat town. The place is famous for the farmers' Tebhaga Movement. During the first half of the 20th Century, most farmers of the area used to work in the fields of landlords locally known as Zamindar. The movement of Tebhaga was to acquire a right of 2/3rd of the produce from the land.
Patiram Thakur Estate
On the banks of River Atreyee and the Balurghat-Malda state highway, the Patiram Thakur Estate is the old building of the local landlord which also bears the memory of the Tagore family.
Bollakali Temple
About 20 Km from Balurghat on the Balurghat- Malda Highway is the location of the village BOLLA. A temple of the `Bolla Ma Kali` here is highly revered by the locals. The story behind the temple goes like this - A landlord could not pay the due tax to the British Govt. and got arrested. Kali came to his rescue and with her blessings, the landlord was released the very next day. The landlord built this temple as a token of gratitude.
Tapan Dighi
`Dighi` stands for lake and Tapan Dighi is one of the largest in the area. It is located at Tapan at a distance of 35 Km. from Balurghat and 15 Km. from Gangarampur. King Laxman Sen is supposed to have ordered the digging of this lake. The lake is about 2 Km in length and about 1 Km in breadth.
